Milwaukee County

State Fair outlines efforts to keep patrons safe and happy

West Allis - The Wisconsin State Fair said Tuesday it has taken a number of steps to keep fairgoers safe and prevent violent incidents like those that marred the fair's opening night last year.

The steps, which the State Fair Park CEO and board chairman highlighted Wednesday morning at a news conference, include the installation of 11 new security cameras and the continuation of a youth admission policy the fair instituted after the disturbances.

The cameras will be monitored from a law enforcement command center in the fair park that will be staffed around the clock. The surveillance system is web-based, so officials will be able to access footage off-site.

"The key is communication," State Fair Park Board Chairman John Yingling said Wednesday. "And we think we have really substantially improved communications so that if there are problems on the grounds that we're having patrons leave the grounds."

The fair has hired 100 additional security personnel, instead of the outside staff it employed last year, to enforce the youth admission policy.

Kristin Chuckel, marketing and media relations manager, said the fair also has been holding monthly law enforcement summits since September to prepare for this year's event. Among the agencies participating are State Fair, West Allis and Milwaukee police, as well as the State Patrol.

"We're not going to let a few individuals ruin the experience of 911,000 people at the Wisconsin State Fair," State Fair Park CEO Rick Frenette said.

The youth admission policy was put in place Aug. 5 after youths attacked fairgoers the night of Aug. 4.

Under the policy, people younger than 18 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian 21 years or older to be admitted after 5 p.m.

Anyone 18 or older may be asked to show a valid driver's license or state identification card for proof of age to be admitted to the fairgrounds.

Board OK'd measures

The Wisconsin State Fair Park Board in October voted to keep the youth admission policy in place.

Bag searches also will be conducted at entrances in an effort to keep prohibited items out of the fairgrounds. That policy was put into place before the 2011 fair, although Frenette said its execution will be "more organized this year."

Frenette also promised more security outside the park, including neighborhood patrols by local law enforcement in West Allis and Milwaukee.

"If something does escalate, we'll be on it fast enough," the CEO said.

Last year, the trouble at the fair started about 7 p.m. Aug. 4 in the midway amusement area when fights broke out among black youths.

Later in the evening, witnesses told the Journal Sentinel, dozens to hundreds of black youths attacked white people as they left the fair, punching and kicking people and shaking and pounding on their vehicles.

Chuckel said the idea for the law enforcement summits came in response to those incidents.

"We just really felt it would be beneficial to get together on a regular basis and talk about how we could collaborate," Chuckel said. "After opening day of last year, all of those agencies were here. They had a stronger presence than they had before. All of those agencies did a wonderful job coming together, having more of a presence on the fair park and also around the perimeter of the fair park.

"We were all very happy with the collaboration that started during the fair last year, so we really just wanted to make sure that continued," she said.

"We want our fairgoers to feel safe. We want them to know all of the measures we've taken to make the fair a safe place," Chuckel said.

Yingling said Wednesday he was "extremely pleased" by the fair's collaboration with law enforcement agencies and with the planning the fair has done to make 2012 fair "an even better experience than the previous year."

Despite the opening night of violence, the fair last year drew 911,231 visitors during its 11-day run. That was a 4% increase over the previous year, and it was the first time in at least 10 years that more than 900,000 visitors came to the fair.

Fair officials on Wednesday also discussed changes at the midway area.

Last year, the fair park board decided that fair officials will directly manage ride, games and food operations in the amusement area.

"By managing the area ourselves, we have the opportunity to pick and choose the best of best when it comes to rides, games and attractions," Frenette said

Called SpinCity, the area will feature new high-quality and capacity rides, new vendors, new signage, and new seating areas, the fair said.

In addition to state inspectors, representatives from National Leisure Consulting will inspect the rides before and during the fair, Frenette said.